Posted by jladyga on May 13, 2014

Open House Day

Did you know August Wilson, Wendy Wasserstein, and Robert Lopez developed their award winning plays and musicals at the Eugene O’Neill Theater Center? Or that Michael Douglas, Meryl Streep, and John Krasinksi, to name a few, honed their acting skills on the Waterford shoreline?

The O'Neill is participating in the tenth Annual Connecticut Open House Day – a unified celebration of the state’s fascinating world of art, history, and tourism – on June 14, 2014. During this one-day event, the Eugene O’Neill Theater Center, along with more than 200 other organizations and attractions throughout the state, will open its doors to the public. The O’Neill will offer special incentives, including free admission and special giveaways to visitors at its historic main campus in Waterford, and at the Monte Cristo Cottage (boyhood home of namesake Eugene O’Neill) nearby in New London.

The statewide event, sponsored by the Connecticut Office of Tourism (COT), is designed to broaden awareness among residents of Connecticut’s exceptional cultural and tourism assets and encourage them to become ambassadors who share their newfound discoveries with visiting family and friends.

In addition to campus tours at the O’Neill Theater Center in Waterford, and an open house and tours at the Monte Cristo Cottage in New London, the O’Neill will feature incentives including:

Connecticut Open House Day also includes opportunities to become a Connecticut Ambassador as part of COT’s Ambassador Program, an ongoing initiative designed to cultivate pride among residents in the state’s many diverse historic, arts, tourism and entertainment treasures. For more information about Connecticut Open House Day, visit www.CTvisit.com or call 1-888-CTvisit.

Founded in 1964, the Eugene O’Neill Theater Center celebrates 50 years of new theater and new artist development in 2014. It is the country’s preeminent organization dedicated to the development of new works and new voices for American theater, and has been home to more than 1,000 new works for the stage and to more than 2,500 emerging artists. Scores of projects developed at the O’Neill have gone on to full production at other theaters around the world, including Broadway, Off-Broadway, and major regional theaters. The O'Neill is the recipient of two Tony Awards, in 2010 for Regional Theatre, and in 1979 for Theatrical Excellence.

The Connecticut Office of Tourism brings together tourism, historic preservation, history, and the arts. Its mission is to preserve and promote Connecticut’s cultural and tourism assets in order to enhance the quality of life and economic vitality of the state.

The Eugene O’Neill Theater Center is located at 305 Great Neck Road, Waterford, CT 06385. The Monte Cristo Cottage is located at 325 Pequot Avenue, New London, CT 06320. For more information about the O’Neill, visit www.theoneill.org or email theaterlives@theoneill.org.

Posted by Communications on March 13, 2014

Waterford, CT — The Eugene O’Neill Theater Center has launched an exciting new division of the National Theater Institute, the National Music Theater Institute (NMTI). An unparalleled program, NMTI is for driven students seeking a launching pad into the music theater profession through broad-based, ensemble training.

Applications for the inaugural fall 2014 semester are due by March 20.

NMTI is a 14-week program offered twice a year with classes seven days a week from 7:30am until 10pm. The NMTI experience — a conservatory-like training regimen, a faculty of professional artists, and two weeks training in New York City through a singular series of NMTI workshops and master classes — is one that students cannot find at liberal arts colleges. It is a springboard for those pursuing a career in music theater to hone their craft, find their voice, and meet with like-minded collaborators.

The two-time Tony Award-winning Eugene O’Neill Theater Center, known as "America's theater laboratory", with its rich theater history and reputation for artistic development and excellence is a dynamic place to study musical theater. Dozens of musicals including the award-winning Nine, Avenue Q, [title of show], and In The Heights had their beginnings on the storied Waterford, CT, campus.

NMTI students train with industry professionals and master teachers in Acting for Music Theater, Writing the Musical, Dance/Movement, Directing for Music Theater, and Singing/Voice. These core classes are supplemented by workshops and mater classes including: Cabaret, Greek Chorus, Business of the Business, Producing for Theater, Breakout Break Through Musicals, and Design, among many others.

National Theater Institute Artistic Director Rachel Jett remarks, “NTI redefines what one believes to be possible, the possibilities of what can happen in a day, and the possibilities of what can happen on stage. NMTI will enable students to create their own work collaboratively and in every discipline, and therefore lay groundwork for the future of the American musical.”

The O’Neill’s Executive Director Preston Whiteway comments, “NMTI is fortunate to be able to call upon these and other professional artists who, over the last 50 years, have made the O’Neill their artistic home to share their talents in our classroom and place NMTI at the forefront of contemporary American music theater education.”

The O’Neill is in the process of a major campus expansion, providing seven new dormitories, a state-of-the-art rehearsal hall, and additional production and rehearsal space to accommodate the fall 2014 semester.

NTI's six intensive credit-earning programs are for writers, singers, directors, actors, designers, and dancers who are high school graduates, undergraduates, or post-graduates seeking a launching pad into the professional world.

Posted by Communications on April 18, 2014

Betty Buckley, Mimi Hines, The Skivvies, & Barb Jungr Headline

Artistic Director John McDaniel announced headliners for the Eugene O’Neill Theater Center’s 2014 Cabaret & Performance Conference. The ten-day conference begins July 23 with nightly performances. The Grand Finale ends the O’Neill summer season on August 2.

The conference brings some of the biggest names in Cabaret Theater to perform at the O’Neill each summer, providing valuable development and performance training for select Cabaret Fellows – up-and-coming performers on the cabaret scene. Applications for the Fellows are accepted through May 9th.

Says McDaniel, “This year’s conference is all about putting cabaret into perspective. Looking Back. Looking Ahead. I couldn’t be happier to welcome these amazing talents to our little cabaret in the woods for my second season at the O’Neill.”

***

The Skivvies – July 24Original, stripped down musical arrangements performed while stripped down to their underwear. This evening of song and sights features the acoustic duo of Broadway veterans Lauren Molina and Nick Cearley, with distinctive mash-ups and eccentric, original work. Joined by a special Broadway guest star to be announced!

Mimi Hines – July 25Best known for replacing Barbra Streisand on Broadway in Funny Girl, and running the show on her own steam for 18 months, Mimi also starred coast to coast in I Do! I Do!, Sugar Babies, Hello, Dolly!, Nunsense, Pippin, Anything Goes, The Full Monty, and many more. This show business legend is widely known to television audiences for her appearances on "The Jack Paar Show" and "The Ed Sullivan Show," dating back to 1958!

Susie Mosher and the New Faces of 2014 – July 26Known throughout New York for her ability to find and showcase the best new talent, Susie will bring a fabulous lineup of new faces to the O’Neill stage for this special night. “Susan Mosher is one of those talents you need to see to believe; on second thought, let's just say you need to see her, and stop there." - Adam Feldman, TimeOut NY.

The Man in the Long Black Coat: Barb Jungr Sings Bob Dylan – July 27Back by popular demand, this amazing, unique talent from the UK is sure to bring down the house! Tracy Stark, Conference music director and a frequent collaborator of Barb’s, will be at the piano. "An exhilarating and revelatory evening, in which Dylan's songs are ravishingly illuminated, revealing heretofore unheard joys and sorrows. I came away in a trance, which lasted until the following week when I returned and my mind was blown even further. The best show in New York hands down, in forever." - Jon Robin Baitz

Betty Buckley – August 1An evening with “The Voice of Broadway.” A Tony Award winning actress and singer whose career spans theater, film, television and concert halls around the world, Buckley is one of theater’s most respected and legendary leading ladies. She makes her debut at the O’Neill this summer.

***

A full season announcement will come later in May.

Conference Fellows & Junior Fellows hone their presentational skills, learning the art of stage performance and training under the guidance Conference special guests and headliners. Barb Jungr will serve as Master Teacher for the 2014 Cabaret Fellows.